State Senator Lisa M. Boscola announced today that two Northampton County municipalities were awarded grants totaling $40,000 through the WalkWorks Program to assist with the development of plans and policies to increase physical activity options in their communities. The City of Bethlehem and Lower Saucon Township will each receive $20,000 in grant funding.

“During this difficult time, ensuring our residents have access to recreational opportunities that keep them safe and meet their health needs is absolutely essential,” Boscola said. “These grants will aid Bethlehem and Lower Saucon to move forward with executing recreational plans that the communities had been planning to implement that will provide additional options for physical activity for their residents and visitors to their communities.”

The purpose of the grants is to assist in community planning and design to incorporate more opportunities for walking, cycling and public transit while providing more healthy options for exercise in these communities. This shift in planning efforts requires a coordinated effort to link transportation policy and public health, which these grants support.

The grant recipients were selected from a competitive pool of high-quality applicants by a multidisciplinary review team that included representatives from the PA Department of Health, University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Public Health Practice, PennDOT, the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the PA Department of Community & Economic Development and the Pennsylvania Local Technical Assistance Program. Statewide, ten recipients were awarded a total of $155,000 in funding.

The WalkWorks program is committed to increasing walking, establishing activity-friendly routes and expanding walkable communities across Pennsylvania. Funding for WalkWorks is provided by DOH through the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant and the State Physical Activity and Nutrition Grant, both from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Locating a local walking route or finding more information about the WalkWorks program can be done by visiting www.pawalkworks.com or following WalkWorks on Twitter.

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